EE204: Business Management for
Electrical Engineers and Computer Scientists

Written Case Analysis

You will need to prepare two pieces of written work during the course. Each piece involves a thorough analysis of a case, but you are limited in your written paper to five pages double-spaced, plus exhibits.

NOTE: Students who have had other case-method courses must select cases for written analysis which they have not studied previously. See the professors if the selections announced won't work for you.

Collaboration Policy

Guidelines

Written papers are due at the start of class on the date indicated. CASES MAY BE HANDED IN EARLY; UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL THEY BE ACCEPTED LATE, I.E. AFTER THE CLASS BEGINS ON THE DUE DATE!

As guidelines for these written assignments, you should keep in mind the following:

  1. Papers should be on 8 1/2" x 11 paper, double spaced, with normal margins. The name of the case should be on the first page of the text in the upper right-hand corner. Do put only your student ID on the front of the paper. Do put your name (or each team members name), on the back of the last page only.
  2. The word limit for each paper is 1,800 words (this is five double spaced pages of text with reasonable margins and font), plus exhibits (which do not count towards the length limit, but cannot be primarily text). Note that these are maximum limits. Please try to make your papers concise and coherent.
  3. Exhibits should contain specific types of analyses (such as financial, capacity, cost competitiveness, etc.) and information that supports and is relevant, but would be too detailed for the body of the paper. Exhibits should not be simply an extension of the text.
  4. Please proofread your paper before turning it in. Papers for this course should be of the same quality that you would provide to the management of a business that you are dealing with directly. (Note: pencil and ink corrections for typographical errors are acceptable. It is also permissible to have grammar and spelling, but not content, checked by someone else, e.g. a language tutor).

Common Pitfalls

Turn in the original copy of your work and save a copy for yourself. The following are some suggestions to help you avoid some common pitfalls in case writing:

  1. Review all tools and techniques for business analysis presented thus far in the course and apply them as appropriate.
  2. Don't focus too heavily on minor (but interesting) issues or those for which there is little data.
  3. Avoid rehashing of case data. Case facts should not be presented unless they are used to support a specific line of reasoning. Assume the reader is familiar with the case.
  4. Be sure not to build your recommendations solely based on case data which have questionable validity, e.g. opinions, hearsay, etc.
  5. Be sure to include a brief discussion of alternatives you did not choose and your reasoning for their dismissal.
  6. Assure that all quantitative analysis is readily understandable. Analytical work should be presented with simplicity and clarity so that the reader can replicate your analysis. This is generally done in an exhibit or appendix. Be sure that the source of all data is noted.
  7. When recommending actions, avoid or modify any recommendations which:
    • are not specific
    • are impractical
    • are not well integrated or conflict with one another
    • do not address obvious timing issues
    • ignore obvious cost implications
    • are not directly pertinent to key case issues

Grading Criteria

GRADING CRITERIA AND SCORING SHEET FOR WRITTEN PAPERS

At this link you will find the grading sheet used in scoring each written assignment: GRADING CRITERIA AND SCORING SHEET FOR WRITTEN PAPERS. The grading sheet also constitutes the basic outline typically used in business writing, where the recommendations are presented up front for quick evaluation followed by the in-depth analysis.

Areas for improvement in scores

The areas for greatest weaknesses in papers historically are:

  1. No discussion of company’s financials and how that affects the recommendations. For example if the company is not very profitable, its ability to invest in R&D or marketing may be limited. Or conversely, the company has to bite the bullet, bet the company, and invest for survival.
  2. All the tools used in the course to date are not reviewed and applied as appropriate in the analysis and recommendations.
  3. Recommendations do not explicitly and completely address the issues presented in the case
  4. Exhibits are missing or simply copies of case exhibits. An exhibit is meant to clarify or amplify a point of analysis such as a breakeven calculation or market segmentation chart
  5. Students do not use the grading sheet to QA their papers prior to submission.